Planoodapii co



R. N. EGGLESTON. (mouwn STAKE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 2?. 1916- Patented July 8, 1919.

ITED STATES PATENT; ornion ROBERT N. EGGLESTON, or sir. LOUIS, MISSOURI,ASSIGNOB. T MUL'rIruLn MANurAo:

TUBING COMPANY, oF-s'niLoUIs, MISSOURI, A CORPORATION or MISSOURI To allwhom it may concern: s

Be it known that 1, ROBERT N. EeeLnsToN, a citizen of the United Statesyresiding at St. Louis, Missouri, have invented a certain new anduseful Improvement in Ground Stakes, of which the following;- is a full,

clear, and exact description, .such as will en- I able others skilled inthe art to which it appeitains to make and' use-the same.v

This invention elates to ground stakes of -the kind.thatare used foranchoring a-wind- ,lass'or other pulling. device to'the ground, such,for-example, as a'device of the kind shown inmy Patent l5fApril4c,1916 v1 r One object of my present invention is to provide a ground stake"which-is so constructed that either a rope or chain can be used withsame for connecting the stake with the object or device j that the stakeanchors. Another object is to provide a ground fstak which is soconstructed that the portion of the rope or'chain that extends-between apluralityofstakes arranged the groundin tandem relation can be drawnper- "fectlytaut, thereby causing all of the stakes toact together orcollectively to resist the pullingstrain that the ropeorchainislsubjectedto;

v Another object is' to provide aground "stake having thecharacteristics above referred to and'constructed' such a manner that itcan be driven into. the groun'd without liability of damaging the ropeor chain that is arranged in engagement with the istake- Y v p Anotherobject is to provide'aground stake which is equippedwithimeans thatcauses the portion of the ground against 0 Ewhich theupper' end of thestake bears when itisxin' use, to be packed orcompressed solidly duringthe operation of driving the stake into the ground, thereby insuring asolid surface against which the stake bears,

whenithe chain or rope connected to the stake is subjected to a pullingstrain. 7

And still another object is'to provide a ground stake which is soconstructed that v the-chain 'or 'rope which-thestake anchors f can beutilized topull the stake-out of the ground, when it is desired toremove the stake; Figure 1 ofthe drawings is-a perspective view-of aground stake' constructed 1n"aceordari'ce with my inventiom upper endportion of saidstake.

' No. 1,177,767, dated :with itsupper end inclined toward the di- J aGROUND-STAKE.

Specification of Letters Patent, Patented July 8', 1919. Applicationfiled November 27, 1916. Serial 1570133312 v .Fig. 2 isafrontelevational view of the Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the stake.

- Fig. 4 is a view, illustrating a plurality of stakes constructed inaccordance with my invention arranged in tandem relation in the Fig; 5is a. detail View, partly in vertical section, illustrating ,a'.chainarra'nged 1n'en gagement with my improved stake. g

In the preferredform of my invention, as hereln shown, the shank of thestake consists of a flat web :1 thatcis tapered or substan- Y from therear side-of said =web' at: substantially right angles to same, theupper edge of said flange 2'being inclined downwardly 7 toward thelowerend" of thez shankj and merging at its lower: end"into"the:web 1.

tially wedge-shaped and reinforcingand strengthening flange '2 that projects' laterally Theweb l is provided at its lower end with 1 7 anarrow-shaped piercing point 3, and said web is preferably provided atits upper'end portion at the upper end of'thersh'ank of the stake thatwill pack or compress itheportion with athickened portion l whosefro ntface T a: of the ground lying in front of the stake, 7

during theoperation of driving, the stake into the ground, and: thusinsure a finm or.

solid surface against :which the upper end ofthe stake bearswhen it isin use, the stake belng; intended to be driven into the ground shown inFig. 4. v

The. stake is provided [at its upper end with a means by whicheither arope orca chain can be securely connected to'the stake.

Said means preferably consists of a substantially Vfsh'ap'ed notch 5formed in the thickened portion 4 ofthe w'eb of the-stake, and a bail orsubstantially U- sha'p'ed-meinber' 6 that projeotslaterally from the;rear side of position with 'relation'to the notch 5 that it will form akink in the rope or chainthat passes through the baillwhen said rope orchain is subjeoted'to' a pull or strain in the direction,-indicated bythe arrowi'nFig. 4:, and thus effectively prevent the rope or 'the'webat approximately right angles to the web, said bail beingarranged'insuch a chain from slipping relatively its the stake.

It is immaterial; so' farf as broad idea is of the stake;

concerned,"how.the bail .6is combined with the web of the stake, but Iprefer to form said bail integral with a pair of verticallydisposedflanges 7 on the rear. ,side of said web whose lower end portionsconverge and merge into the reinforcing flange 2'. 'The member used toconnect the stake with the object to be anchored may either consist of arope, a cableor a chain. Said flexible mem ber is preferably firsts'lipped through'the bail (3 and laid in the notch 5, and thereafter,the stakeis driven i1ito tl1e ground'in the manner shown in Fig. 4:,namely, with its upper end inclined in the direction that the strain orpull 'is applied. It is not essential, however, that the flexible memberbe arranged in engagement with the stake prior to the operation ofdriving the stake into the :groundyfor, if desired, the'stake can befirst driven and i the flexible member thereafter arranged"in-engagementwith same. l/Vhen the flexible memberis subjected to a pull inthedirection indicated'by the arrowin Fig. 4, itlwill 'beforceddownwardly into snug engagementwith the tapered side walls of thenotch'5, the; bail G, which lies above the flexible member, cooperatingwith the notch 5.]to cramp the flexible member and bind it tightlyltothe stake. :As-the strain or pull on the flexible member is increased,said memberl'.willbe drawn more tightly into engagement with the wallsof the notch 5 and ,with lthe lower edge of the bail 6, thereby causingthecramping pressure on the flexible member to be increased as thestrain or pull'on said member'increases. If it is desired to take upslack in the flexible member r between the stake and the-object to beanchored,this can be accomplished easily by drawing the fiexible. 7member rearwardl-y throughthe notch and bailat the upper end This isafeature that adds lgreatlycto the efliciency of a ground stake, for whena plurality of stakes are arranged in, the ground in tandem relation, asshown in Fig. 14,.it is desirable to have-the portions 0f theifiexiblemember between the stakes perfectly taut, so that all of the stakes willact together, or act collectively, to resist the pull that thefiexiblemember is subjectedto. Inmy improved stake the portions of-theflexible member. that lie between, the stakes can bedrawn perfectly;taut the manner previously described, and consequently, when :thepulling,operation1is started, all of the ,stakes will act as a unit to resistthe pull,

owing to the fact, that the portion-of the member lying between thefirst and :second stakes acts immediatelyto; transmit the-pull on thefirst-stake to the second stake, and'the portion of the flexible memberlyingwbetween the secondand third stakes acts immediately to transmitthepull ,on the secondstake to the; third stake.

Y :glhenoteh 5 in the-upper end. of the stake structureybut aspreviouslyv not essential that the'bail 6Jat'the upper end ispreferably'made deepenough so that the flexible-member Will lie far enough below the upperend of the sta k e,,.when the-stake is n d v m Pre en sadrmenib frombeing damaged by the hammer or instru- 11161113 used to drive the stakeinto the ground.

.The thickened portion 4: at the upper end of ,the stake not only actsto solidify and pack "instrument.

lnpractice I prefer to cast the stake in one piece, so as to reduce thecost'of manufacturing same and insureastrong and rigid intimated, is

of the stake be integrally connected to; the

web. urthermore'jwhile I. prefer to provide the stake -with ashank-that' is substantially ,T-shape'd incross section, this is notessential, as the shank could 'be formed in various other wayswithoutfdep'arting fronr the .spirit'of my invention. In view of thefactthat the-flexiblepulling member xpasses under the bail- 6,.said

grasping thel two; portions of same ly-ing at the front of and at.therear of the bail f'and used' to pullzthe: stake out ,of the ground.If desired, the flanges-'7 canibe provided on their inner si des withlugs? which-tare so disposedthat when .a. chain;is connected -tothestake thelugs' '7 hwill act. as an abutment for one link of theichainpand thus parallel :to. the direction o f pull.

' Having thus described my invention, what :I claim, and .desire to:secure by: Letters -Patent, 1s: v.

1. A device for securing a rope, chain; or Otl1I'fi6XlblGi member,consist ng of aground stake provlded tat .itsiupper end with a:-surfacex,over rwl ich the flexible member is passed,.and a bail on the; rear.side of. said stake timder which. said flexible member "is passed,saidf'bail being so arranged with relationio thesurface at:th'eupper.'end .of

the stake over WhllCh the' zflexible :member member can be ilooped:around: the ibail by v passes that it will cause a kin-kite bezformedin said flexible. member .when: said member is subjected; to a forward;pull. a

. ,2. A:deviceyforssecuringa chain, rope :or otherfiexible member,consisting ,ofa ground stake provided at its upper'end with a notch-for;receiving the flexible member that is to be secured, and a rigid bail ontheii'ear side of said stake :underf whichv said -"fie'Xible member,passes, said *abail so gproportioned and arranged with relation to saidnotch that it will cause a kink to be formed in said flexible memberwhen said member is pulled forwardly.

3. A device for securing a chain, rope or other flexible member,conslsting, of a ground stake provided at its upper end with a notch inwhich the flexible member is arranged,

vertically-disposed flanges on the rear side of said stake arranged atopposite sides of said notch, and a substantially horizontallydisposedbail projecting rearwardly from said flanges at .a point below saidnotch, the flexible member being adapted to be passed under said bail.

4. A device for securing a chain, rope or other flexible member,consisting of a ground stake provided with a longitudinally tapered webportion, a reinforcing flange on the rear side of said web that extendslongitudinally I of the stake, vertical flanges on the rear side Copiesof this patent may be obtained for of said stake whoselower endsconverge and merge into said longitudinally-extending flange, a notch inthe upper end of the web of the stake arranged between the said verticalflanges, and a substantially horizontally-disposed bail integrallyconnected to said vertical flanges and arranged far enough below saidnotch to cause a kink to be formed in a flexible member that passes forman abutment for the adjacent link of the chain, and a bail on the rearside of the stake under which the chain is adapted to be passed, saidbail being arranged below the notch in the upper end of the stake.

ROBERT N. EGGLESTON;

Washington, D. 0.

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of I'atents, V

